The present invention relates to a device comprising a reservoir and a dispensing means, with improved fitment system between said reservoir and said means.
Spray devices are known for the purposes of domestic cleaning, for example for cleaning hard surfaces such as windows, baths and ovens, as well as for spot cleaning of floor coverings such as carpets. Most spray devices which are commercially available are manually or electrically operated, that is to say that the devices comprise a pump which is activated or operated by the consumer. Most commonly this activation generates liquid pressure in a chamber displacement pump by means of a positive deplacement pump which in turn drives the liquid from the chamber usually through a dispensing nozzle. Many dispensing patterns are possible, but a conical spray is the most common. Usually, such spray devices comprise a reservoir filled with an active composition, and a means to dispense the composition from within said reservoir. The spray devices typically further comprise a basic fitment system to secure the reservoir onto the dispensing means, so as to establish a fluid communication between the two.
The following references are directed devices comprising a reservoir and a dispensing means which are fitted to each other prior to dispensing the contents of the reservoir through the means:
D1 (WO94/12825) is a PCT application to Mashburn. It discloses a reservoir/dispenser fitment wherein the reservoir""s cap is fixed via bayonet means onto the dispenser. The cap is secured onto the dispenser once said cap has been rotated at least at a certain angle from the position of insertion (bayonet principle).
D2 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,435,462) is a US patent to Nordson Co. It discloses a reservoir/dispenser fitment wherein the reservoir""s cap is fixed via screwing means onto the dispenser.
D3 (U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,188) is a US patent to Baker et Al. D4 (WO97/46479) is a PCT application to Anderson. They disclose liquid dispensing systems comprising a liquid dispenser, a reservoir closed with a cap. At the time the reservoir is fitted into the dispenser, a needle of the dispenser pierces through the cap to give access to the reservoir contents.
D5 (U.S. Pat. No. 03,966.093) is a US patent to Fraham et Al. D6 (WO93/07084) is a PCT application to the Cap Snap Cy. They both disclose fitment systems for water dispensers comprising a dispenser onto which an upside down reservoir is fitted. The fitment comprises sealing, venting, mounting, and filter elements.
D7 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,682) is a US patent to PandG. It discloses a non-leaking, non-venting liquid-filled canister quick-disconnect system. The system comprises a cap of a reservoir to fit into a recess of a liquid dispenser. The recess comprises a locking finger which mates a corresponding locking recess of the cap. In combination with the lock, the system comprises an umbrella valve which is part of the cap, and opens only upon insertion of the reservoir and cap into the liquid dispenser.
While solving some issues, the above mentioned inventions still present some disadvantages. Some of them were designed for heavy systems for use in industrial applications, but are not suitable for use with portable devices. Some do have a complex structure, and thus are expensive to manufacture, and may present some risks of leakage. Some others require a complex operation to fit the reservoir into the dispensing means.
More generally and in most systems for portable dispensing devices available in the art, perfect leak-tightness is not ensured. This is particularly true with portable devices since these are subject to movements in all directions during dispensing, even for devices wherein the fitment between the reservoir and the dispensing means consists in a hollow pin of the dispensing means pushed through a closing feature of the reservoir. In such cases, the reservoir would need to be accurately guided, and maintained inside the dispensing means, since any source of movement between the two will lead to deformation of the reservoir""s cap and incorrect mating with the hollow pin of the dispensing means, and thus will be a source of leakage.
Such leakage is particularly undesirable in case the reservoir is filled with active compositions such as cleaning, bleaching, detergent compositions or the like, which can be irritant or dangerous to human safety, and must be kept away from children for example. Leakage is also clearly undesirable inside a dispensing means which comprises an electrical pumping means. More generally, it is the interest of the consumer to use a device which does not leak, and dispenses the product only onto predetermined area, and thus, prevents messy jobs.
Finally, and more importantly, some of the systems above, for instance the systems disclosed in D7, are not vented systems. This means that the fluid connection between the reservoir and the dispensing means allows fluid to exit said reservoir into said dispensing means, but it does not allow simultaneous admission of air back into the reservoir to compensate the loss of contents. Such non-vented systems are clearly undesirable, especially in case the reservoir""s contents is pumped by an electrical pump in a continuous manner and/or is used over a long period without stopping the dispensing of liquid.
It is therefore one main object of the present invention to provide the user with a liquid dispensing device comprising a vented reservoir filled with a liquid, and a dispensing means, said reservoir and said means being fitted such as to prevent any leakage during the use of the device, and where the device is most preferably a portable device.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a device wherein the reservoir is very easy to place/remove from the housing of the dispensing means.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a device wherein the fitment between the reservoir""s opening and the dispensing means has a simple structure, and is cheap to produce.
The present invention is directed to a device for the delivery of products, preferably cleaning products comprising an active ingredient, more preferably cleaning products comprising a surfactant, the device comprising at least one vented reservoir for containing at least one liquid product and a means for dispensing the product from the reservoir, the device being characterized in that the reservoir comprises at least one recess and/or protrusion and the dispensing means comprises at least one corresponding protrusion and/or recess, said reservoir being releasably secured in a leak-tight manner with the dispensing means such that fluid communication between said reservoir and said means is established, only when said protrusion(s) and recess(es) are fitted into each other, and said protrusion(s) and said recess(es) of said reservoir have a shape which is complementary, preferably exactly complementary to said protrusion(s) and/or recess(es) of said dispensing means.
Preferably, the dispensing means comprises a push-button means for unlocking said reservoir from said dispensing means. Also preferably, the reservoir""s neck is off-centered in the cross-sectional plan of said reservoir, and said reservoir fits into a complementary recess of the dispensing means, so that once locked in said dispensing means, lateral displacement of said reservoir is prevented. In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, said at least one recess and/or protrusion of the reservoir is located at less than 25 cm, preferably less than 20 cm, more preferably less than 10 cm from the top of said reservoir.